10 Questions for Fabricio Werdum

The third meeting between Cain
Velasquez and Junior dos
Santos ranks as one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of
2013, and it’s a given that Fabricio
Werdum will be watching the
UFC 166 headliner with more than a passing interest. In an
interview with Sherdog.com, “Vai Cavalo” gives his thoughts on
waiting out a title shot, who wins October’s heavyweight showdown
and what a movie about his career might look like.

Junior dos
Santos challenges Cain
Velasquez for the heavyweight title at UFC 166. Would you be
willing to wait for the winner?
The UFC did not tell me anything, but if I have to wait for the
belt, I wait. I know I'll be more or less waiting seven months,
because they will fight in October, smf then I would fight the
winner by February. But it would be worth the wait for the chance
to fight for the belt. At least I'll have more time to train,
refine my wrestling and jiu-jitsu, train more with Rafael
Cordeiro, with Rubens Cobrinha. I would like to fight in
October. I thought I was going to face Cormier, but I hope to face
the winner of Velasquez and Cigano.

Will you compete at the ADCC during your time away?
I have three functions in the UFC: I'm a fighter, but I’m also a
UFC commentator for Latin America since I lived a long time in
Spain and speak fluent Spanish. Due to this I am an ambassador for
the UFC in Latin America, where I travel explaining how the sport
works. Commentating helps me even more to know my enemies, because
I cover their fights. As I result of having these occupations I
will not compete at the ADCC.

Were you frustrated by the fact that Daniel
Cormier was scheduled to face Roy
Nelson?
No. .. I've had a conversation with Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana
White, but I cannot say what it was. I think the fight between the
two has already opened some paths for me.

Will you begin training after Velasquez and dos Santos square
off on Oct. 19?
Actually, I have to prepare myself to fight on Oct. 19. Of course
we do not want anything to happen to anyone, but it happens from
time to time. Injuries occur, anything can happen. I have to be
ready. I will be cageside to call the fight, with my fightwear
underneath. I’m ready for anything -- just call me to take my
blazer off and go in [laughs].

Will you call the fight with your gloves on as well?
Yeah, gloves and mouthguard by my side [laughs].

Since you will be there to call the fight, have you considered
the possibility that you might be asked to come into the Octagon
for a faceoff with the winner?
I had not thought about it, but it's a good idea! If I was
announced as the new challenger there at the time, that would be
excellent. Of course we do not want to take the shine off the
winner, but if they call me, I will go up there.

And you think that this will be against Velasquez or dos Santos?
Who do you see winning the fight?
If dos Santos sticks to his game and finds a rhythm in the first
round, he could win by knockout again. From the second round and
beyond, I see Cain taking control, growing stronger with time. It's
amazing the way the Velasquez fights considering that he is a
heavyweight; he maintains a strong pace throughout the fight.

Do you have a preference between the two?
Of course I want a rematch against Cigano, and I think one day it
will happen, for the belt or not. After leaving the UFC, I had the
fight of my life against Fedor, and today I think I'm very
different from the guy who was knocked out by Cigano [in 2008].
However, a fight against Velasquez I think would sell even better.
Not that the Cigano fight wouldn’t do well -- especially in a
stadium in Brazil -- but a fight against Cain would be in Las Vegas
and would be seen by the MMA world. Additionally, Cain represents
Mexico and Latinos in the U.S., and I have this job as ambassador
for Latin America. So it would be a fight that would affect a lot
of the Hispanic market. Imagine this fight in Mexico? I see many
Latinos on Twitter asking for this fight. So I do not have a
preference between the two.

Would becoming UFC champion be the greatest achievement of your
career? Or is the victory over Fedor
Emelianenko still the best?
No, the fight with Fedor was the greatest of all. Nobody believed
in me except myself and my team. Of course I wanted to be the one
to beat Fedor, I wouldn't lie about it, but being the first was
special. For that fight we even thought about how sweat [would be a
factor]. To get a submission at the beginning would be better
because he wouldn't have much sweat and it would be easier to
catch. That fight was not for a belt, but it could be worth [much
more]. It’s part of MMA history, and afterward people began to know
more about Fabricio
Werdum. They knew about me before, but then I turned into "the
guy who beat Fedor." But my goal is to be the UFC champion; that is
my goal today. I hope to make a movie of my life after I retire,
taking advantage of the fact that I'm in L.A., and I’m sure this
fight [with Emelianenko] would be featured prominently. I want to
show my departure from the UFC, the victories in other events and
the comeback, and then returning to the UFC on my own merit.

And on the poster for this dream film, would be you submitting
Fedor or holding the UFC belt?
This is a good question. It would be a combination of the triangle
armbar on Fedor as well as me with the UFC belt, the two images
side by side.